[img]https://i.imgur.com/rVmMbH3.jpg[/img] In our newest Dev Talk, Robin Henkys, Game Director of Albion Online, takes a closer look at [b]Crystal Realm Battles[/b]. This major new feature will go live with the Nimue Update on November 21, giving more teams than ever before a chance to participate in GvG fights. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBoyCdCy3FY No time to watch the video? Read on for a summary of his talk: [h1]What are Crystal Realm Battles?[/h1][list] [*]From a narrative perspective, Crystal Realm Battles allow teams of players to harness the power of their watchtower territory crystals to enter the crystal realm and fight other teams for valuable rewards.[/*] [*]From a gameplay perspective, this means every watchtower territory becomes an access point to a GvG battle every day, without having to declare attacks and without having to share a border with your opponents.[/*] [*]Since a lot of these fights are happening at the same time, it means a lot of opportunities for new teams to participate in GvG.[/*] [*]Fights within the crystal realm are full-loot like regular GvG, but the number of fights happening (and the fact that gear power inside the Crystal Realm is slightly scaled down) means that participation does not necessarily require top-end gear[/*][/list] If you’ve been wanting to participate in guild vs. guild fights but haven’t had the chance yet, this may be your opportunity to get involved. [h1]How it Works[/h1][list] [*]Each watchtower territory you own, excluding farms and home territories, provides one daily battle opportunity[/*] [*]This opportunity occurs at a fixed time, either 2:00 UTC (a peak activity time in North America) or 19:00 UTC (the peak of activity in Europe)[/*] [*]Players can sign up for a battle as they would for any other GvG fight[/*] [*]To participate, all players signed up for a particular battle must be in the same region as the territory providing the opportunity at the time of the battle[/*] [*]All teams who meet these criteria are then entered into matchmaking, with two conditions: [list] [*]You will never be matched against your own guild or an ally[/*] [*]If possible, you will be matched against an opponent with a similar tower level. Your tower level increases as you win fights and decreases if you fail to participate or lose.[/*] [/list] [/*] [*]Once matches have been formed, teams are transported into the Crystal Realm and engage in battle with regular GvG rules: [list] [*]Full loot[/*] [*]Reduce the enemy points by capturing objectives[/*] [*]First team to decrease their opponent to zero points wins[/*] [*]If the timer runs out, the team with more points wins[/*] [/list] [/*][/list] At the end of the battle, each team receives a reward based on their performance. The winning team always receives the majority of the reward, which consists of the following: [list] [*]Season points for your guild’s ranking in the season[/*] [*]A selection of items lootable by the players, including [list] [*]Siphoned Energy[/*] [*]Non-tradable Fame tomes[/*] [*]Silver and Black Market items[/*] [/list] [/*][/list] These individual rewards ensure Crystal Realm GvGs are an attractive activity both for the guilds and the players participating, and although the winner always gets the majority of the reward, the losing team still gets a good amount if they put up a good fight. Of course, we’ve also made sure the winning team can still explore the battle map for a while to loot the corpses of their opponents and admire the view! --- We’re looking forward to seeing many more new players becoming active in guild vs. guild warfare, so if you want to learn even more about this feature, please see [url=https://forum.albiononline.com/index.php/Thread/99263-A-Brief-Guide-to-Crystal-Realm-Battles/][b]this forum post[/b][/url]. That's all for today – we'll see you online when Nimue releases on November 21!